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City News

Posted on: September 28, 2018

City Seeks New Director of Oxford Street Shelter

The City of Portland will begin advertising today for a new director of the Oxford Street Shelter following the news that its current director, Rob Parritt, will be leaving his full-time role in mid-October. Parritt will continue to assist the City on a part-time basis as a consultant on the planning for a new homeless services center.

“Working to end homelessness and provide emergency shelter services for our most vulnerable populations is truly my passion, and deciding to leave this role was not an easy one for me,” said Rob Parritt. “At the end of the day, I had to do what is right for me and my family at this time, and that meant taking a step back from the day-to-day operations. I’m thankful to the City Manager for giving me the opportunity to continue serving as a consultant as we work to bring about a more efficient and compassionate way of offering these critical services.”

“It is never easy to lose good people, and Rob’s departure is truly a loss for the City,” said City Manager Jon Jennings. “However, I respect his decision and realize he’s making the right choice for his family. I’m thankful that he’s agreed to assist us as we move forward with our planning for a new homeless services center, as his expertise and institutional knowledge is invaluable to our efforts.”

Meaghan Void, who currently serves as Assistant Director of Operations, will serve as acting director of the Oxford Street Shelter while a search for a new director takes place.

Jennings continued, “I want to assure the community that operationally, OSS will run as usual, and we will continue providing the same level of services.”